Through her work in the United States Department of Homeland Security, Fortune 500 companies, and United States Congress, Lauren Claffey has become a trusted advisor for CEOs, policymakers, high-level government officials and executives for more than a decade. She is currently a managing director at Hamilton Place Strategies, focused on advising corporations, trade associations, and nonprofits on communications strategy and execution. She is also a contributing author at OZY, and a fellow at George Mason University’s National Security Institute.

Before joining HPS, Lauren worked at the United States Department of Homeland Security running strategic communications as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs. She served and worked directly with three department secretaries and the administration’s senior policy, national security, and legal teams, communicating on international and domestic policy issues to key national and foreign media. She led the communication strategies to address major homeland security issues, including the federal government’s response to Hurricane Harvey and Maria in 2017, cybersecurity issues with critical infrastructure, and countering terrorist use of the internet with major tech companies such as Twitter, Google, and Facebook. Additionally, Lauren prepared the secretaries for international ministerials, congressional testimony, media interviews, and speeches.

Prior to her time at DHS, Lauren held a variety of communications roles in the private and public sectors. She was the Communications Director for both U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security. She led corporate communications for Southern Company, a Fortune 200 energy company, serving as a senior advisor to the CEO and working to modernize the internal, external, and investor relations communications operations. And she spent time consulting at the public affairs firm Rational 360, where she worked with Fortune 500 companies, trade associations, and nonprofits to craft public affairs campaigns that furthered their business and policy objectives.

Lauren has also worked with and advised local, state, and congressional campaigns on policy, social media, and earned media strategy. She also appears frequently on Fox News and CNN to provide political and communications commentary.

An Augusta, Georgia native, Lauren graduated from the University of Georgia with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and Georgetown University with a master’s degree in corporate communications and public relations. She currently resides in Washington, D.C.